al78 wrote:Is Broad Stand notorious because it is very technically difficult, or is it because a mistake is very badly punished?
It's notorious as an accident blackspot. If unprotected by a rope, a slip from the crux will have very serious, probably fatal, consequences. Walkers who have no climbing experience should leave it well alone, both in ascent and in descent.
From a climbing perspective it's graded 'Moderate', which is the easiest recognised climbing grade. You might find a few moves of 'Moderate' on a grade 3 scramble (as on Pinnacle Ridge, St Sunday Crag, for example). Climbers frequently use Broad Stand as a descent from the top of climbs on the East Buttress and Scafell Crag, and in dry conditions are usually happy to do this unroped. It's actually easier and safer to descend (provided you find the correct route) than to ascend, because the crux step can be negotiated by lowering oneself from good hand-holds down a short corner with just a short step down onto a wide ledge, using a brief layback manoeuvre. This is much harder to do going up, so in ascent most people will use the technically easier but more exposed alternative of stepping out leftwards onto a series of big but polished and sloping footholds. The hand-holds are not great here so it can feel a bit precarious - it relies on good friction from your boots. A slip can easily occur if there is any dampness and/or dirt on your boot-soles, and it's a 30 ft. drop onto boulders. Hence the potential for serious accidents, despite the low technicality (on the climbing spectrum). Unfortunately, walkers are often lured by Broad Stand because the technical level is just about within what might be described as a "scramble".
